See The Likely Winner of The 2024 GRAMMYs’ New African Category

From Wizkid to Ali Farka Touré to Burna Boy to Angelique Kidjo, African musicians have a rich history of attending the Grammy Awards. Any African musical genre, including kwassa, high life, Ghanaian drill, and Ethio-jazz, is eligible for nomination. Remarkably, in the past year 2023, other artists are really thriving: Nigerian Afrobeats artists Burna Boy, ASAKE, Davido, and Ayra Star have all received nods as they were all nominated for the newly added Afrobeats category in the GRAMMYs.

Nonetheless, whichever artist wins the Grammy for Best African Music Performance, will undoubtedly create history. Notably, everyone really needs to know that the Afrobeats Grammy prize in our review, which is one of three recently created categories for the 2024 Grammy Awards, represents a significant milestone for the African music industry and the commercial and artistic strength of the continent’s output.

However, we cannot just claim that this year was typical for Afrobeats, I believe the genre marched on to international borders already for the past few years now. Moreover, the seductive, throbbing sound of Amapiano, a house offshoot from South Africa that has swept clubs from Lagos to London by storm, has been welcomed by the biggest names in the genre. The Amapiano genre is actually an inspiration for three of the five nominated songs; ASAKE even uses the genre in the title of his own composition. Meanwhile, the way that South African Tyla combines ama and R&B demonstrates how ubiquitous Amapiano influence is in the industry too. 

The Recording Academy introduced this new category for the upcoming 66th Annual Grammy Awards on June 13. Among the three added this year, this category is defined in the Rules and Guidelines as follows: “Eligible recordings encompass vocal and instrumental performances infused with strong elements of African cultural significance. These recordings blend a stylistic intention, song structure, lyrical content, and/or musical representation found in Africa and the African Diaspora.” The African Diaspora is broadly defined as the global communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, with a predominant presence in the Americas.

Read on as you explore more about the nominees below, and who has the best chance of winning the groundbreaking “Best African Music Performance” GRAMMYs prize on Sunday, February 4th, 2024.

“Amapiano”- ASAKE & Olamide

The two brilliant Nigerian musicians and YBNL members (Prodigy & CEO respectively) Asake and Olamide, have been nominated for their first GRAMMY Awards in the Best African Music Performance category for their joint project “Amapiano.” Neither of them has ever received a Grammy Award nomination before.

For both artists, the iconic rapper, Olamide, and the amazing singer, Asake, it’s a momentous time for them, their label, and Nigeria. They are becoming well-known and establishing themselves on the international scene right now. Moreover, Olamide and Asake’s duet on “Amapiano” is a hit song that peaked at the top of the charts and became a national anthem in Nigeria and other African nations.

Moreover, Asake’s acceptance of sounds from across the continent, particularly Amapiano, is what makes him so appealing. His CD Work of Art combines fújì, an Indigenous Yoruba form from Nigeria, with Mauritian séga music, a prominent branch of Afro-house. “Amapiano” combines aggressive rapping from Asake and featured artist Olamide with rearranged components like the distinctive log drum to subtly subvert the rules of the genre while also making a statement about how popular it is.

“City Boys” – Burna Boy

With four nominations in each of the four categories – Best African Music Performance, Best Global Music Performance, Best Global Album, and Best Melodic Rap Performance – Burna Boy leads all nominees in this category with the most GRAMMYs nominations in the 66th edition of the prestigious awards happening February 2024.

We can say Burna Boy is well into his imperial reign after becoming the first UK No. 1 album this year with the hip-hop classic I Told Them, which featured features from 21 Savage, J. Cole, RZA, and GZA. If you’re not actually sitting on top of the world, it’s difficult to get away with releasing a song named “Sittin’ On Top of the World”. However, this year’s Recording Academy attention was drawn to “City Boys.” The stomping, glitzy track, which is produced by MD$ and Ruuben and features a sample from Jeremih’s seductive R&B smash “Birthday Sex,” is evocative of late-’90s Timbaland beats and emphasizes the crossover from hip-hop to Afrobeats.

Remarkably, let us not forget, In 2021, Burna Boy’s “Twice as Tall” took home the Grammy for “Best Global Music Album”.

“Rush” – Ayra Starr

Ayra Starr, a vocalist of Afrobeats and R&B, is up for her first Grammy nomination in the Best African Music Performance category for her song “Rush”. She will go off against Davido with Musa Keys in “Unavailable”, Burna Boy in “City Boys”, and Asake and Olamide in “Amapiano”. On November 10, 2023, the Grammy nominees were revealed. The talented Nigerian artist, Ayra Starr, is celebrating a significant accomplishment with her nomination. She is the youngest and first female Nigerian musician to receive a Grammy Award nomination in the Best African Music Performance category.

Notably, “Rush” by Ayra Starr encapsulates a message of unwavering focus and relentless pursuit of success. Starr communicates the competitive nature of the professional world with a determined fierceness, expressing a lack of time for negativity and bad energy while keeping her attention on financial goals: “Me no get the time for the hate and the bad energy / Got my mind on my money”. Despite its distinctive Afrobeats clave rhythm and Nigerian pidgin lyrics, the track’s glimmering synths harken back to the early 2010s electro-pop era, reminiscent of artists like Robyn or Carly Rae Jepsen. Moreover, the anthemic quality of “Rush”, akin to Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” contributed to its global rise in popularity, driven by TikTok virality.

“UNAVAILABLE” – Davido Featuring Musa Keys

Remarkably, “Unavailable by Davido” has achieved significant success, topping the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart for an impressive five weeks and securing the third position on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. The song’s recognition extends to the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, where it has been nominated for Best African Music Performance.

Notably, with triumphant choir vocals on the hook, it’s a lighter, smoother version of the sound with assured lines from Davido and his South African collaborator Musa Keys, we expected the Amapiano hit that was delivered on the “Unavailable” song that went viral worldwide as it spearheaded the “Timeless” album by Davido.

Davido, along with Burna Boy and Wizkid, is regarded as one of the main three of Afrobeats. He made his debut in 2012. Since then, he has competed with the other two musicians for singles and chart positions. Note that for the 2024 GRAMMYs, Davido has garnered three nominations at the 66th Grammy Awards: “Unavailable” ft. Musa Keys – Best African Music Performance; “Timeless” – Best Global Album; “Feel”; Best Global Performance. These nominations reflect Davido’s diverse musical contributions and global impact across different categories.

“Water” – Tyla

21-year-old Tyla, the only South African nominee on this list and the youngest contender overall, is already well-known in her native nation after receiving nominations for two South African Music Awards. She also made history by being the first South African solo artist to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years with “Water,” the lead track from her soon-to-be debut EP. Mostly propelled by a well-liked TikTok challenge, the song started at number 67 and has already peaked at number 21.

The song’s popularity on social media, coupled with the accompanying viral water bottle dance, propelled the 21-year-old singer to her first Billboard #1 song and earned her a debut Grammy award nomination. The track, “Water by Tyla”, is nominated in the category of Best African Music Performance at the upcoming 66th annual Grammy Awards, scheduled for February. This recognition marks a significant milestone in the South African artist’s career. Notably, If it weren’t for the hot Amapiano instrumental underneath “Water,” one might easily appreciate the song’s crossover appeal. Tyla sings only in English, yet her voice is full of confidence and desire.

FINAL REMARKS

The global explosion of the African music scene underscores the need for continued exposure to promote inclusivity and appreciation for the rich artistic expressions from the continent. Africa, with its 54 diverse countries, boasts a vibrant musical history and a multitude of genres. Therefore, establishing a dedicated Grammy category for African music serves as a crucial starting point to showcase and define the diverse musical contributions originating from the continent.

We won’t be surprised if “Rush” by Ayra Starr emerges as the winner of the Best African Music Performance category. However, based on how the category is defined in the Rules and Guidelines as follows: “Eligible recordings encompass vocal and instrumental performances infused with strong elements of African cultural significance. These recordings blend a stylistic intention, song structure, lyrical content, and/or musical representation found in Africa and the African Diaspora” – we might expect “Amapiano” by Asake & Olamide or “Unavailable” by Davido & Musa Keys to take home the GRAMMY prize as either of these top songs from these popular African creatives seem to fit ideally into the structure of the new “Best African Music Performance” category guideline. Although, we can’t leave out the bug factor that the “African Giant” Burna Boy may be the most popular favorite to take home the prize as he is the OG amongst new cats in the GRAMMYs, having won a couple of GRAMMYs Awards along with numerous nominations by the Recording Academy.

Nonetheless, this category provides a platform for numerous artists and songs to compete and be celebrated on a global scale. It not only acknowledges the wealth of talent across Africa but also amplifies the cultural richness and diversity inherent in the continent’s music scene. The inclusion of this category contributes to a more comprehensive representation of the global music scene, fostering a greater understanding and recognition of the artistry emerging from Africa.